#marvels the avengers

Masterlist|Requests

Summary: Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, had nerves of steel behind the mask. He was able to defeat horrible villains, swing from impossible heights, and do the impossible. But without the suit, without the mask, he can’t even tell his best friend that he’s in love with her. Maybe it’s her beauty, her confidence, or the possibility of losing her altogether if he admits his feelings, but he just can’t bring himself to do it. His hesitation also most definitely has something to do with the fact that she’s Flash’s little sister.

Characters: Peter Parker, Y/N Thompson, Ned Leeds, Flash Thompson, Molly Owen (OC), Liz Toomes, May Parker, 

A/N: there is a little reference to one of Robert Downey Jr.’s old roles in here ;)

You had always been close with Peter Parker and Ned Leeds. You remembered Peter being there when you broke your arm after Flash had pushed you off of your bike. May had Peter deliver a batch of your favorite cookies to your home the day after, even though they had nothing to do with the incident. You remembered Ned fending off the playground bullies for you in third grade when your brother wouldn’t. When you discovered that your two closest friends were also best friends (small world, am I right?), you three became inseparable.

As the years went on and the three of you started high school, the friendship onlystrengthened as an idea of watching movies together had turned into a weekly tradition. At first, the two boys would make their way to your house, but once Mrs. Thompson got a new job that kept her busy during the weekends, her brother had made it a point to bully the three of you incessantly; so much so that the weekly movie marathon was moved to Ned’s.

In school, you had achieved the status of, ‘Miss Popularity’; a moniker that Ned teased you about to the point of claiming you had become too cool to hang out with the likes of their ‘league of nerds’, but you paid no mind, usually retaliating with some pop culture reference, which Peter tended to fall to his knees for. As stated before, you three were inseparable.

But lately, Peter had been acting… strange.You couldn’t really place a finger on it, but he’d been spending a lot less time ogling Liz… and he’d skipped the past month of Saturday night movie marathons. Whenever Saturday rolled around, and you were on your way to the Leeds’ house, you would receive a text from Peter letting you know that he would be unable to You’d questioned Ned about it on more than one occasion, but every time he just laughed it off.

“Pigeons learn faster than you,” he’d said once. You hit him over the head with a rolled-up magazine for that one.

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •

Sitting on the bleachers with your headphones tucked in your ears and a bag of carrots resting on your knees, you reached into your backpack for your copy of The Motion of Life in Water. You’d told your usual group of lunch buddies that you had to study, which was a lie, but you didn’t feel too guilty for it. You munched in silence, reading with soft music playing. You bobbed your head from side to side slightly, completely closed off from the outside world. But as the song’s tempo increased, the feeling of your right earbud being yanked out startled you.Turning your head quickly to shout at whoever dared disrupt you, your eyebrows rose up in surprise as the sight of Peter Parker greeted you. His boyish face had been on your mind a lot as his absence was a noticeable one.

In a moment of unfiltered frustration, you smacked him across the thigh with the paperback book.

“Peter, what the hell!?” you shouted. He sat on your left, grinning from ear to ear.

“Jeez, Y/N, sorry! I just wanted to know what you’re listening to,” he said, listening in on your music. “Ah, not a bad choice.” He smiled, inserting the earbud fully.

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you showed it to me, Petey,” you said. “So where have you been lately?”

“Wh-What do you mean?” he asked nervously, cocking an eyebrow as he offered you a strawberry. You offered him a carrot in return.

“You skipped all of our John Hughes movie nights! It’s so unlike you, Pete, to skip Weird Science?“

“I don’t even like Weird Science, Y/N. Ian reminds me a little too much of–”

“Mr. Stark, I know. I get it. You’re basically an Avenger now,” you rolled your eyes. “I bet you haven’t even met any of them, other than Iron Man.”

One of the few topics of discussion that always seemed to come up was Peter’s internship with Stark Industries. Ever since the Stark Convention in 2010, Peter had become enamored with the Iron Man. It was only fitting that the man that saved Pete’s life would end up choosing him as an intern.

“Y-Yeah…” Peter said softly, smiling down at his feet for some reason.

“But hey,” you began. He looked at you, his brown eyes searching your face. You didn’t catch on, but he looked at you with longing.

“Do you think you could get Spider-Man to sign something for me?” you asked giddily. “Not to totally take advantage of your situation, but he’s awesome.” Peter’s cheeks flushed bright pink.

“Wh-Wh-What m-makes you say that?” he asked, brows furrowed. You gave him a strange look, smiling.

“I dunno, he’s probably the only Avenger who hasn’t left anyone dead on the streets. He’s all for the little guy,” you explained.

“But what if he’s, like, super ugly under the mask? Like, horrifically burned or something?” a detached voice asked. You and Peter glanced over to see Molly, one of your friends, nearing with Liz and your brother not far behind. Flash smirked at her comment.

“I bet he’s definitely got some horrible skin deformity,”

“What, like Deadpool?” you asked as they stopped short in front of you and Peter on the bleachers.

“Yeah! God, what if he’s some geek with pimples and shit?” Flash agreed.

“Okay, well first off, Flash, who invited you into this conversation?” you asked, grinning slyly. He glared at you.

“Y/N, don’t be so anal, alright? You’re having a public conversation with Penis Parker. Are you seriously gonna get mad at me for wanting to be involved?” Flash retorted. You’d already had your fill of his attitude for the day, so you pulled out your left earbud and folded your arms over your chest. Peter, Liz, and Molly collectively held their breath.

“No, you can’t. See, you wouldn’t know this, pretty boy, but you wouldn’t have to rely so heavily on your physical appearance if you were actually a nice guy. But no, you wake up three hours before school to style your fucking hair because there’s nothin’. Going. On. Upstairs,” you said, tapping your temple to express just how much you meant what you said. He looked somewhat embarrassed because of Peter’s laughter. Liz groaned at the conflict in general. You pursed your lips to keep from laughing along, high fiving Peter. Flash huffed, crossing his arms and storming off.

“Nice, Y/N. Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Molly snickered, she and Liz taking the seats below you and Peter.

“Y/N, Flash does kinda have a point, though. You’ve gotta shut up about this Spider-person! What if he is actually a she? What if you’re obsessing over some totally hot crime-fighting vigilante chick?” Molly proposed.

“Spider-Man…. is a man… Because he calls himself Spider-Man,” Peter commented defensively.

“I love him,” you joked, earning laughter from Liz.

“Well, if what Ned said in gym class the other day was true, then Peter does know Spider-Man,” she said, motioning toward Peter. “Why don’t you hook them up?” Molly nodded vigorously.

“I… I barely know the guy,” Peter said bleakly, swallowing hard. You poked his arm softly, making him jolt slightly.

“I… know… when… you’re… lying, Petey,” you teased. “But don’t worry. I won’t ask you to introduce me to your new web-slinging buddy,” You laid your head on his shoulder. “It’d be too awkward, anyway.” You closed your eyes, putting your earbud back in. If you hadn’t closed your eyes, you would’ve seen the way Peter’s face turned beet red. You would’ve seen how Liz raised an eyebrow at his reaction to your affection, and you would’ve seen the shit-eating grin on Molly’s face.

It seemed that everyone knew but you.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

You whistled along to the radio as you danced around your room, reading from your textbook after school that Friday. No clubs or plans, so the rest of your day was open. You were home alone that evening; Flash had a date (so he most likely wouldn’t be back until the next morning) and your parents both worked, so the music was rather loud.

The sun had begun to set and when you looked out the window, you saw the beautiful city skyline and the outline of Stark Tower in front of the orange-colored sky. It felt peaceful and safe being close enough to see the building, but far enough away that if the sky were to open up again, you’d be safe from harm for a little longer. You tossed your textbook onto your bed, climbing in after it. You propped your feet up against the wall your twin bed touched, your mind wandering from seeing the Chitauri attack on the news to Peter’s internship. What exactly did it entail anyway? Why did he disappear so often as of late? Why did he act so secretive about the internship, especially towards you? You’d never told anyone any of his secrets, so why was this one that he wanted to keep from you? All questions with no answer.

Being home alone could only be fun for so long, so you decided to text your group chat with Peter and Ned to see what they were up to.

 Y/N: Guys, I’m dying of boredom over here. What’re you up to?

Nedward : Hanging out at home. Was just about to text u.

Y/N: Petey

Y/N: Peter Benjamin Parker, wya sis?

Y/N: Where is he tho

Nedward : I dunno should we be worried? Usually the second your name pops up on his phone hes jumping for it like it’s a life raft and hes in the middle of the ocean

Y/N: Don’t exaggerate. We should totally surprise him at home. He’s probably asleep. Or doing homework

Nedward : What kind of loser does homework on a Friday? I have to help mom with dinner. I’ll see if I can come later on though?

Y/N: Peter. Peter does homework on a Friday. And me. I do homework on Fridays. Don’t judge. I’m gonna text May and head over

Nedward : Ok let me know if he’s dead

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   • 

You knocked softly on the door to May’s apartment.

“One second!” her sweet voice called. You heard hurried footsteps make their way over and she pulled the door open. She saw your face and hers lit up like a kid’s on Christmas.

“Y/N! I was worried something happened. What took you so long to get here?” she asked, sounding a lot like your mother. You grinned sheepishly, holding up a bag from Delmar’s deli.

“I got you guys sandwiches,”

“Oh, you’re such a sweetheart!” she took the bag from you, giving you a tight hug and pulling you inside.

“Delmar asked about you again,” you teased. May rolled her eyes, handing you the sandwich marked #5 and the two bags of sour gummy worms.

“Oh, shush. You sound just like Peter. He’s in his room,” May said, heading back over to her desk. You made your way across the living room, knocking on Peter’s bedroom door. No answer. You opened the door slowly, peeking in to see him fast asleep on top of the covers on his bed. Shirtless. Funny. You grinned, letting yourself in and shutting the door behind you.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. I got you dinner,” you said, setting his food down on the nightstand. You sat beside his sleeping body but immediately gasped at the sight.His upper torso was marred with cuts and bruises of all shapes and sizes; your heart sinking as a particularly angry looking bruise drew your attention.You didn’t recall Peter having so many cuts and bruises on his body. It looked as though he’d been through a war. You reached out to brush your fingers through his unkempt locks with concern. He had a small cut on his forehead as well. Your fingers on his skin woke him in an instant. He sat up with a start, grabbing your wrist in panic. He let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Oh, Y/N, it’s just you. How long–” he yawned, letting go of your arm– “how long have you been here?” He pulled one of those science pun shirts on over his injuries, groaning slightly. You didn’t comment on it.

“I just got here…” you said, taking a look around. His room was a mess. It had taken you being there to realize just how long it had been since you’d actually been in his room. Sure, you spent your weekends out in the living room during your sleepovers with Ned and occasionally Molly or even May, but you hadn’t been in his room in months. You stood, making your way over to his desk.

“What’s all this?” you asked, gesturing to the odd-looking tech blueprints. They looked familiar somehow.

“J-Just stuff for Mr. Stark. And a little bit of schoolwork mixed in,” Peter leaped off the bed, joining you in looking at the blueprints for a second before he hurriedly smashed all of the papers into one of the drawers. You spun around, leaning against the desk looking at his room from a new angle.

“I haven’t been in here in a while,” you commented. Peter had his hand on the desk, his thumb brushing against your left pinky.

“Yeah, it has been a while hasn’t it?” he agreed. You gestured towards his dinner.

“You gonna eat?” Peter moved away from you in an instant, going for the gummy worms.

“Thanks a ton, Y/N. I can pay you back,” he offered, sitting back on his bed. He tossed you the second bag of gummy worms. For a moment, things felt normal. Peter had that glow in his eyes back, but the strange cuts and bruises on his body worried you endlessly. You didn’t want to address it, for fear that he would just close back up again.

You sat at his desk, spinning in his rolling chair. You wheeled over to him and put your feet up on the bed.

“Don’t worry about it, Petey.” You smiled at him and he gave you a sweet look. You watched him for a long time, still debating on whether or not you’d bother to ask what was up.

But you did anyway.

“Are you okay lately?” you asked. Peter looked at you nervously.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve been acting super… distant lately. Even when you’re around, it’s like your mind is somewhere else. I’m just sorta worried, is all. Is it the internship or… Liz?” you asked, feeling a strange jealousy in your gut when you brought up his ever-present (so it seemed) crush.

“Everything’s fine!” Peter said a little too quickly and he knew it. “It’s got nothing to do with Liz.”

“So it’s the internship?”

“I… I guess. Partially?” Peter said, recoiling. You rolled your eyes, feet hitting the floor as you stood.

“Peter, you can’t lie to me anymore. You’re covered in all these bruises and cuts, it’s terrifying me. I can’t be in the dark just because you’re afraid of what I’ll think! I’m so worried for you,” you admitted, still holding the open bag of gummy worms in your hand. Peter set his bag down, sighing.

“Okay, okay… I… I was keeping it a secret because I don’t want you to ever risk you getting hurt because of me,” he began. You listened expectantly.

“I’m–”

He paused.

The faint sound of his watch beeping frantically sent Peter into a frenzy. He brushed past you, tearing his shirt and pants off in a hurry.

“Wh-What are you doing–…” You trailed off when Peter pulled the familiar suit up his legs. He slapped his chest, the suit suctioning to his body.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” he said through the mask. The Spider-Man. You were too stunned to respond. “Mr. Stark needs me… I… I’m sorry.”

Your brows furrowed, trying to absorb the situation as he threw his window open and disappeared into the city streets. You could hear the sounds of gunfire from his bedroom as you ran to the window, leaning out to watch him swing around the corner. Hell.

You did the only thing you could think of and called Ned.

“Hey, Y/N, what’s up? Is Pete ok?”

“He’s fucking Spider-Man!” you whisper-yelled, climbing out onto the fire escape outside Peter’s window.

“…I know.” Ned answered. You slammed the window shut and climbed down the ladder, cradling your phone between your ear and your shoulder.

“Excuse me, WHAT? You knew and didn’t tell me!?”

“He didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Why? Why do you know then?” you demanded.

“He came crawling into his room in the suit when I went over a while ago,” Ned replied sheepishly. You let go of the ladder when you got to the bottom, landing on the street below. “Did you just climb out the fire escape?”

“I can’t face May’s questioning! Does she know!?”

“No, she doesn’t know!” Ned exclaimed. You rolled your eyes at his dramatic response. You groaned. “How’d you find out?”

“His stupid beeper thing went off. I’m guessing it’s connected to Mr. Stark’s Life Alert necklace or something, you said, rounding the corner in the direction you saw Peter go.

“Y/N, where are you going?”

“Just waiting outside for the little fucker to come back and explain himself,” you lied.

“Y/N,”Ned warned. “Stay put. He’ll be devastated if you get hurt.”

Ned had a point. You leaned against the brick walls of Peter’s apartment building.

“Fine…” you said softly. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Be safe,” Ned answered before hanging up. You groaned, running your fingers through your hair. You had no idea how long you’d have to wait.

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

“Y/N… you’re still here,” Peter’s detached voice said softly. You looked up from your shoes to see him standing there, still in the suit and all. He took a few steps closer to you and under the harsh streetlights, you saw his suit was torn, he had fresh wounds and a slight limp. He reached out a hand to help you stand regardless of the pain he was definitely in.

“Yeah, well, I’m persistent,” you joked as you got to your feet. Peter didn’t say anything, only watched you shiver against the cold.

“Y/N, why’d you wait out here?”

“I panicked… and the fire escape ladder’s too high up for me to reach…”

“Wanna… wanna come back inside?”

“Pete, why didn’t you tell me? Why weren’t you just honest with me?” you demanded, ignoring his question. Peter shrugged his shoulders, speaking through the mask.

“Wow, this feels surprisingly easier when you can’t see my face–”

“Peter.”

“Okay, okay… I didn’t want to risk you ever, ever getting involved in something I can’t get you out of. I want you to live a normal life, even if that means I disappear from it,” he reasoned. Your heart sank, but you crossed your arms.

“Why? Why does it matter so much? Ned knows.”

“Because… you’re not Ned. Not like he’s more replaceable or anything, but you’re my favorite girl. I want to be the one that makes your day, Y/N. I’m pretty sure that you’re Spidey’s number-one fan and I’m yours,” Peter paused.

You felt a smile creep up on your face as he continued. “I’ve seen you date guys that, yeah, they’ve made your heart melt and they’ve made you happy, but I don’t think that they’re right for you. It’s selfish, but I think you were made for me. You’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world. It bothers me a lot that I haven’t been the kind of guy you want, the kind that breaks your heart and makes you cry.” You raised your eyebrows but didn’t say anything for a moment. You slung his arm over your shoulder and walked him down the empty street, toward the fire escape. You finally spoke.

“You don’t think I was crying out here, worried that you’d get hurt? You don’t think I wanted to cry every time you talked about Liz? God, take this damn thing off,” you groaned, grabbing the mask and pulling it up off of his head. His tousled locks draped over his forehead and you saw a bruise forming over his right eye. You gasped, holding the mask over your lips.

“Peter…”

He shrugged.

“Gotta protect the city, right?”

“God, from what?” Your eyes widened.

“Some guy in a green goblin suit, I guess. The city’s full of crazies,” Peter answered. He grinned slyly. “Hey, wanna do something awesome? It’ll make me feel so cool, and I know you’ve dreamed of a moment like this.”

“Sure, Spidey,” you said. Peter took back the mask, pulling it over his head ‘just in case May had gone to investigate the silence’. He put an arm around your waist and shot a web up toward his windowsill. The two of you were practically catapulted up onto the fire escape.

“Holy hell, that was amazing!” you exclaimed, grinning. Peter’s eyes glinted at your reaction.

“Maybe sometime I can take you around the city.”

Peter climbed into his room, you following slowly. He changed out of the suit as you sat on his bed. He pointed to the nightstand.

“Can you get the first aid kit out of that top drawer?” he asked, pulling on sweatpants and carrying a t-shirt over to sit beside you. You did as you were asked and opened it.

“You don’t have to–”

“Yeah, I do. You won’t be able to reach some of these anyhow,” you interjected, pressing a few gauze pads to a laceration on his arm.

“Have you done this before?”

“Mom’s a registered nurse, remember?”

“Right, my bad,” Peter smiled. You cleaned his smaller wounds with care; it didn’t take long for your Spider-Man to be all patched up. You pressed a gentle kiss on his shoulder.

“You know something?” he began, looking at you affectionately.

“I know some things, yes, but you can educate me if you want.”

“I know it’s really cliche, but I think I’m better when I’m with you. I, like, worry when you’re not around,” Peter admitted.

“I like it when you say things like that,” you replied, leaning close to his face. He rested a hand carefully on your cheek, pressing your foreheads together.

“You’re not afraid to be in my life, knowing what you do now?”

“I never was.”

Then Peter kissed your parted lips feverishly, passionately, with his fingers in your hair. He wasn’t wrong, it was cliche but it was happiness. And it was real.